Category: Tech

Latest Technology News, Alternative, Bio-Tech, Medical, R&D and Innovations

Microsoft’s Denim Update is Coming To Lumia Soon

The much-talked about Microsoft’s ‘Lumia Denim’ update for Windows 8.1 operating system has begun to roll out to Lumia devices, globally.

According to the company, they are starting the wider roll out of Lumia Denim, a Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 upgrade that packs a lot of improvements to both imaging and Cortana voice commands and new features like live folders on your start screen and an enhanced glance screen.

The Denim update has already debut in US through Verizon with 822 and 928 back in December, but the broader deployment suggests that other Lumias are due relatively soon. If you own new handsets like the Lumia 830, 930 or 1520 , you’ll get faster shooting, Rich Capture (high dynamic range, dynamic exposure and dynamic flash) and better image quality.

Apart from the 830, these phones can also handle 4K video and hands-free Cortana commands. Everyone gets features like Start screen folders, a better web browser and Cortana refinements that include support for in-car speech. Denim is the fourth update to Windows Phone 8.1-equipped Lumia phones, after Lumia Amber, Black and Cyan.

It’s arriving in waves by country and device, and a wider roll out will commence within the month, according to the company. There is still uncertainity as to whether Indian Lumias will be included in latest wave of update or not.

January 16, 2015
Google Maps Lane Guidance Feature Makes For a Handy Travel Companion

Indian roads always remain packed with vehicles. These busy roads notice honking and screaming on working days as well as on weekends. People have to leave home half an hour or an hour in advance to counter traffic. Not any more! Now Indians don’t have to freak out in the traffic jam as Google Maps has launched a lane advisory system in India.

With this new feature, Google Maps gives voice guidance to the users, enabling them to see and hear voice-guided instructions about the alternate lane they should take to avoid traffic. The app is compatible with both Android and iOS and gives lane guidance in around 20 major cities. Google aims to make the app handy and more useful for regular travellers. Director, Producer and Program Management of Google Suren Ruhela clarified the main motive behind updating the app saying –

With the Google Maps app for iPhone/iPad and Android, users will now be able to see and hear voice-guided instructions, signalling which lane they should stay in or move to while in navigation mode.

She further said that the company will continue to upgrade Google Maps for mobile to make it a handy travel companion.

The 20 cities included in the lane guidance feature are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Mysore, Nagpur, Pune, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Vadodara and Visakhapatnam. Drivers in this cities will be able to choose on lane option for easy commute in their mother tongue. The app added Hindi as a default accent last year in July.

The app added a couple of other features as well like turn-by-turn voice guidance, which user’s can get in preferred language. Drivers can change the language from the ‘Language and input’ option. The added feature is a really supportive addition to improving search experience for Indian users.

With traffic the way it is, even in the smallest towns in India, this is quite an initiative by Google Maps to help the hapless stuck in everyday traffic!

January 16, 2015
This Website Lets You Can Virtually Use The Apple Watch

Word is that you have to wait till March to get your hands on Apple Watch. The Cupertino-based tech giant’s first bid on the wearable market will be priced at $349 and will come in three variations – Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and the Apple Watch Edition. The wearable will be compatible with iPhone 5, 5S, 5C, 6 and 6 Plus.

Anyhow, some folk at Pipes news app have created a demo of the forthcoming Apple Watch, which you can try right on its website. The interactive demo lets you navigate through various features of Apple Watch by clicking and holding parts of the home screen and moving around. The demo lets you try out certain applications, like the Clock, Weather, Phone, and Music apps.

The Digital crown of the demo watch is also interactive. While it doesn’t let you scroll or zoom like you’ll be able to once the real Apple Watch comes out, you can use it to return to the home screen. The demo can also show you a preview of some of the watch’s features, like Glances, which are cards that give you tidbits of information, and push notifications.

January 16, 2015
Google Glass to Get An Independent Division Headed by Nest’s Tony Fadell

Between the frenzy of latest flagships and CES launches, Google Glass has been missing the action for quite sometime now. But not anymore, because Google is shaking its wearable up with some major changes.

The Google Glass team announced in a post to its Google+ page, that Glass is “graduating from Google[X] labs,” presumably still marching toward a “real” consumer launch. The Explorer program will come to an end on January 19th which is just three days away.

According to the post, the research project will move to own division. This new standalone Google Glass group will be led by Ivy Ross, who will report to Tony Fadell, the head of Nest Labs, Inc. The development process for the head worn wearables has been a bit slower than some might have expected when it comes to available glassware(apps for glass)but it was strong nonetheless and it seemed to give off a promising future.

Google Explorer Program has spanned years and seen plenty of awesome, annoying, and controversial moments as Glass has looked for a place in the hearts and minds of tech consumers. Many tech enthusiasts believe it has a place in the broader wearable ecosystem including fashion, medicines, navigation, research etc.

Google is also discontinuing consumer sales of the current Explorer Edition of Google Glass, beginning January 19. Google Glass will still be sold to approved developers and companies for both use and further development of the Glass ecosystem. This points again to the new version of Google Glass that will be arriving in 2015, though it is still unknown when it will arrive and whether it will be powered by an Intel Chip or not.

January 16, 2015
How Google’s Project Ara Will Reinvent the Existence of Smartphones

The whole idea of technology is to continuously evolve through introduction of new and feasible upgrades. However, this process of evolution makes the old devices inherently wasteful. As soon as a new device comes out, the old one is tossed in the garbage or put on the shelf to collect dust. But Google’s Project ARA wants to change that with a Lego-like device in which parts of the phone, although not the entire device, can be replaced.

History

The idea of modular smartphone may sounds exciting but it was not easy to build; we presently call it the PhoneBlok smartphone. PhoneBloks began with a single video, almost one and a half years ago, describing in some detail, the idea for a phone worth keeping. Even though it was just an idea, it generated quite a buzz in the tech industry with a social media reach of over 380,000,000 people. Shaking the mere foundation of the smartphone market, the idea presented by the PhoneBlok community questioned the idea of typical smartphones and showed an effective way for change.

The roots of the modular smartphone can be traced back to Modu, an Israeli mobile phone company, founded in 2007 by Dov Moran. The company invented the Modu, a modular cellular device which could be used in various other devices. However, the company ceased operations in February 2011 as it attempted to pay back debts and salaries owed to its workers. In mid May 2011 Google acquired several Modu Mobile patents for $4.9 million. In 2013, Google-owned Motorola announced it is developing a modular phone and hence the Project Ara was born. Meanwhile, Google sold Motorola to Lenovo, but, retained the Project ARA Team.

How Does it Work?

The basic idea of the Phoneblok is creating a smartphone that has detachable components on its front and back so that everything from the processor to the camera can be easily upgraded without discarding the rest of the phone. The entire contraption is held together by a pegboard-style base, with a screen also replaceable mounted on the front.

There would be one block (also called modules) for the camera lens, one for the battery, one for storage and so on. Those blocks would plug into the base, and the blocks, base and screen would be secured together with two screws. Because individual blocks can be replaced when they become outdated or simply break. Additonally the electronic junk will be minimal with these smartphones.

Ara modules need to have a way to communicate with the rest of the phone, but physical contacts are often cumbersome and prone to easy damage. So instead, the modules use “capacitive interconnects,” which are wireless and theoretically more reliable, especially at high speeds. The capacitive pads also help saving space on the modules, since they’re smaller than physical pins.

Modules will be available both at an official Google store and at third-party stores. Ara Smartphones will only accept official modules by default, but users can change a software setting to enable unofficial modules. This is similar to how Android handles app installations.

When Will It be Available?

At present, Google has announced the launch of Project Ara MDK 0.2. The second developers kit from the project is said take PhoneBlok closer to the reality. The MDK 0.2 is based on the Spiral 2 prototype that will be revealed at the upcoming developers’ conference. The company has added a section on the Module Marketplace, which is said to be a lot like a Google Play Store for Ara hardware modules. Unlike the Play Store, however, it seems that this marketplace is going to be strictly curated.

Along with this, the company has also announced the release of Ara Manager app that will be made available in the near future. This app will let users control the functions of different modules and monitor their state and information.

Coming February, Google will kick off second installment of Ara Developers’ Conference which will mark the roll out of MDK 0.2 to limited number of developers. The commercial release is still on hold, however, the recent advancement in the project has hinted that the modular smartphone are very close to become a reality.

Project Ara could be a ground shaker in the Tech Industry. With a video managing a social media reach of 380 Million, and the smartphone market growing so rapidly; one can only wonder what impact it will have when this project becomes a reality.

January 16, 2015
Fujifilm’s New Mirrorless Camera is a Treat for Selfie Lovers

‘Selfie’ is a trend that refuses to die down. The proliferation of smartphones with front-facing cameras is giving a tremendous boost to it. Smartphones are fast eating into the market shares of camera makers and all they can do is try to catch up. Fujifilm has now taken an effort to cash in on the Selfie mania with its new X-A2 camera.

The Fujifim X-A2 is a mirrorless camera with a 175-degree flip screen which you can use to click selfies. The camera looks retro which gets extra points in the design category. It supports interchangeable lens and gives you far better selfie images than your phone’s front facing camera could.

Flip the display towards you and the camera automatically sets to face and eye detection

As soon as you flip the screen towards yourself, the camera adjusts the settings to enable face detection so that your prized moments are in perfect focus. The camera comes with 16-50mm (24-76mm-equivalent) f/3.5-5.6 lens which would let you take wider selfies. The X-A2 comes for a price tag of $550 which is pretty steep if you’re buying it just for its advanced selfie feature. Also by adding $150 more, you get a 50-230mm (76-350mm-equivalent) f/4.5-6.7 lens.

Maybe the end of the pocket camera is near. As smartphones get better and better at their imaging capabilities, handheld cameras will see their market share dip. But if you got the money and you want a nice retro looking camera with some great selfie capabilities, then this one would be the one to buy.

January 15, 2015

Acer Liquid E700 Review

Last year was quite an exciting year for the Indian smartphone market, especially in the overcrowded budget phone category. We saw some top-notch devices coming from domestic as well as International manufacturers packed with relatively high-end specs at an attractive price. Manufacturers are constantly trying to invent new ways to create demand for their product by offering something unique. Taiwanese manufacturer Acer has tried to do something similar and have forayed into the Indian smartphone market after a long break with the launch of their triple-SIM phone the Acer Liquid E700.

The company known for making quality laptops has launched two new smartphones in its Liquid Range of handsets. While the Liquid Jade is a mid-range offering at Rs.16,999, the Liquid E700 is a budget phone, and the one, we’ll be reviewing, is priced at Rs.11,999.

The E700 comes with a good specs which include a hefty 3500mAh battery. The phone does seem like a great budget phone on paper but has it got enough to make its mark. The phone has something unique to offer geared towards frequent travelers. It is a quad-band phone, implying you’ll be able to use it anywhere in the world where there is support for GSM. It faces some stiff competition from the likes of the hot favourite Moto G (2nd Gen) while there are also other worthy contenders such as Xiaomi, Asus, Xolo, Lava and Huawei.

HARDWARE

In terms of hardware, the E700 packs a decent set of specs at least on paper. It sports a mid-range Quad-core chipset from MediaTek bundled with a hefty 2GB of RAM, a lush bright 5-inch HD screen. Check out the key specs below:

Specifications	Acer Liquid E700
Display	5-inch IPS HD
Processor	Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7
RAM	2 GB
Storage	16GB Internal, microSD upto 32GB
Camera	8 MP rear camera with flash, 2 MP front selfie cam
Battery	3,500mAh
OS	Android 4.4.2(KitKat)

BUILD QUALITY AND DESIGN

The Acer Liquid E700 does not appear to be like any other budget smartphone one would come across. It has a curved top and bottom edge along with fine contours along the display, giving it a niche distinct look.

The front of the phone is largely covered by the display, with physical capacitive touch buttons placed below the screen while there are two front grills reminiscent of HTC’s recent phones. The right edge of the phone houses the volume rocker keys along with a micro-USB port, while on the top edge rests the 3.5 mm jack along with the power key.

Meanwhile, the back of the phone sports a soft black matte plastic finish offering better grip with a soft feel. The back also houses the primary camera unit bundled with flash along with an additional button which can be assigned a function. The back of the phone is removable which reveals the three SIM slots along with the microSD slots, with the battery unit embedded within the phone.

Hence, the overall look and feel of the phone is relatively good with precise cutouts made for camera units and flash. It sports a nice form factor with an ergonomic design making it apt for one handed usage. Despite featuring a heavy battery unit, the phone feels relatively light weight.

DISPLAY AND MULTIMEDIA

An HD IPS display is the standard norm these days, and the Acer Liquid E700 sports a 5-inch HD IPS capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels. The same display is also found on the Moto G 2nd Gen along with the Asus ZenFone 5.

The 5-inch screen does the job quite handsomely rendering good colour saturation with crisp viewing angles. Visibility is top notch both indoors as well as outdoors owing to the bright screen.

Meanwhile, the phone is perfectly suited for multimedia consumption. The 720p screen can take care of all your multimedia needs. Even Full HD videos can be rendered easily and run quite smooth without any noticeable jitters. In addition, the front facing speakers pack enough punch, though at times gets distorted which is quite common in this category of phones.

ANDROID & UI

Acer Liquid E700 runs the Android 4.4.2 KitKat with the company’s Liquid Float UI on top. The Float UI brings in a whole new look and feel with its flashy icons and transparent shortcuts. Even the drop-down menu appears a bit different. The UI needs some time getting used to.

Once you’re a bit used to the UI, it offers new and unique ways to multitask. The Float app interface displays several apps and widgets at the same time. These apps come in very handy when you need to take note of something quickly. In addition, Acer has pre-installed a few apps including its Cloud-based Office suite, Polaris Office 5, Acer Snapnote and more.

Overall, the UI is quite snappy and smooth giving a seamless response to swipe and touch. The only weak link with the UI would be excessive bloatware that makes the home screen appear very cluttered. Acer would have been better off had they kept things simple.

PERFORMANCE & GAMING

The smartphone sports a quad-core Mediatek Soc clocked at 1.3Ghz bundled with an ARM Mali-400 MP2 graphics chip. This is further bolstered by a hefty 2GB RAM that enhances the overall performance of the phone.

The phone offers hassle free multitasking. It switches from one app to other in time. Meanwhile, it can even run high-end titles like Asphalt 8 and Modern Combat 5. Even at fully cranked up settings, the device was able to render satisfactory frame rates.

Coming to its benchmark scores, the Acer Liquid 700 fared some average scores, have a look at the benchmark scores of this device along with its competitors below:

Device Name	Antutu	NenaMark II
Xolo Omega 5.0	27,290	59.1
Acer Liquid E700	18,254	54.5
Gionee Marathon M3	17,939	55.2
Lava Iris Fuel 60	18,025	59.1

CAMERA

The Acer Liquid E700 comes with an 8 MP rear camera with LED flash along with a 2 MP front-facing snapper. Meanwhile, the camera app on the E700 gives users a lot of options to fiddle around. Users can manually set the ISO and Exposure settings along with the white balance. Though the image quality is not as satisfying as one would want. There are better options in the same price range that render much better quality pictures.

Outdoors shots are fairly decent, especially the macro shots which come out fairly well rendered with good colour saturation and clarity. Though indoor shots appear a tad grainy and lack the finer details with noise clearly evident, while low light images are plain bad appearing washed out and dulled.

Here are some camera samples for your viewing:

In addition, when you tap the screen for adjusting the focus, you are presented with a circle that can get annoying at times especially when you need to capture something in an instant. The shutter speed appears relatively sluggish; the only striking feature of the camera is its camera app.

The phone is capable of recording 1080 p but as you would from a phone in the given price range, videos appear to be grainy and shaky.

The front has a 2MP snapper which can manage just about average selfies, so hardcore selfie lovers should stay away from this marketing gimmick as Acer touts it as a ‘selfie phone’.

PHONES, NETWORKS AND BATTERY

The network connectivity is pretty top notch; all three SIM slots get good signal strength whether indoors or outdoors and voice quality is pretty crisp. All the three SIM slots support 3G, but can be used for only one SIM at a time. Other connectivity features include 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP and GPS. It also has support for USB on-the-go (OTG) support as well.

Additionally, the phone sports a 3500 mAh non-removable battery which the company claims provides upto 60 days of standby, 24 hours of talk time and 800 hours of standby time.

The 3500 mAh battery can easily suffice a day of heavy usage without the need for charging. Meanwhile, in our battery test the phone was able to give over five plus hours of battery life.

All in all, the 3500 mAh battery can easily last a day of intense usage.

CONCLUSION

The Acer Liquid E700 is a decent all round performer given the price tag. It has a bright 5 inch IPS screen that is pretty amazing, a good overall design and build quality, along with a massive 3500 mAh battery. In addition, it has a few nifty features like triple SIM support which can be customised as per your needs ( data, roaming and calls) along with the Acer Rapid button makes it good overall buy.

Its camera performance is below par and the overall UI experience is not that great. There are better options available in the given price bracket including Xolo Omega 5.0 or even the Yu Yureka. If the battery is your main priority, there are smartphones that have a slight edge over the Acer E700 in terms of overall performance like the Iris Fuel 60 or the Gionee Marathon M3.

In our opinion, the Acer E700 Liquid is just another smartphone launch and doesn’t leave a lasting impression.

January 15, 2015

Amazon Apologises For Yu Yureka Price Glitch

E-commerce website, Amazon India, on Wednesday, addressed a glitch that took place during the online sales of the Yu Yureka. The website has got exclusive online retail rights of the Yu Yureka in the country. While the phone is actually priced at Rs 8,999, some of the users were shown the price as Rs 12,499 or higher because of a technical error. The US based firm apologized for the same on Twitter and is presently working to address the customers who were impacted by it.

As of now, it is still not clear what went wrong that led to this price shoot up. The first glitch took place during the first sale of the Yu Yureka in which the company offered 10,000 units for a flash sale.

After the sale on Tuesday, YU announced that it sold off 10,000 units in just 3 seconds. However, later on, some reports alleged that only 3000 units were placed for the flash sale, and even fewer units were sold. Yu has categorically denied the allegations and stood by their stand that they sold 10,000 units.

January 15, 2015
The World’s Tiniest Keyboard Only Has Eight Keys

Slowly and steadily, with the evolution in technology, gadgets are becoming more compact by the day. WayTools has developed a keyboard called TextBlade, which is made keeping in mind the travelling group. The TextBlade works exactly like a normal keyboard but is ultra-portable and has only eight keys.

The TextBlade is one-third the size of an iPhone and is super slim. It weighs only 1.5 ounces and can be carried like a pen drive in your pocket. The rectangle-shaped keyboard opens up to form three magnetic stripes. These magnetic stripes attach automatically to create a stripped-down keyboard, once drawn closer. The device is compatible with both iOS and Android devices and gets connected through Bluetooth. The company has patented its technology and calls it ‘MultiTouch Key technology.’

The eight keys embrace all the alphabets, numbers and other special characters of a regular keyboard, in a way that most of keys hold more than one identity. All the keys are given appropriate space and the format is kept the same to eliminate the inconvenience. The device houses a rechargeable battery that can last for a month on a full charge. The gadget is priced at $99, which is a little below Rs. 6,000.

The company says that the keyboard provides spacing as of the desktop keyboard and is aimed at giving a seamless transition to touch users from full-size keyboards to a travel keyboard.

Meanwhile, you can watch the video below to get a better idea of how it works.

January 15, 2015
BlackBerry Classic With BB10 OS Comes to India, Priced at Rs. 31,990

BlackBerry has launched the Classic in India. The device is available for purchase at BlackBerry stores and Snapdeal exclusively. It comes with a hefty price tag of Rs. 31,990.

BlackBerry Classic boasts its aesthetic QWERTY keypad which will make it a definite choice of the BlackBerry followers. The brand has restored its style and decided against using a touch screen.

Coming to its specs, the phone has a capacitive touchscreen display of 3.5-inch, which is secured by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The handset is powered by a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor paired with 2 GB of RAM. It features 16 GB of internal storage capacity that can be expanded up to 128 GB via MicroSD card.

Taking the camera into consideration, the Classic sports an 8MP shooter with the added features like autofocus and LED flash, along with a 2MP snapper at the front to take selfies. The device runs on company’s own BB OS 10.3.1 and houses a non-removable 2,512mAh battery.

The e-commerce website has released a buyback offer to lure customers. As per the deal, the existing BlackBerry Bold holders will get a rebate of up to Rs. 4,500 on the purchase of the Classic. The device comes with some in-built features like Blackberry Hub, BBM Meetings and BlackBerry Blend.

January 15, 2015
Here’s Everything Xiaomi Launched Today (Other Than the Mi Note)

Chinese smartphone powerhouse, Xiaomi has kicked off the year with the launch of its new flagship, the Xiaomi Mi Note. Going much further than its predecessors, this device directly takes an aim at the big name flagships and as usual comes with an extremely competitive price tag, although still higher than the usual Xiaomi pricing. The device packs some exceptional specs and the Pro version goes on to challenge the smartphones on the top of the food chain.

At the stage, Xiaomi founder and CEO, Lei Jun stated “We want to be the biggest phone company in the world,” and they delivered their products accordingly. It has expanded its portfolio to challenge the dominance of big brands with this launch event. So let’s take a look at all the other products that Xiaomi has unleashed today from its stage that got overshadowed by the awesomeness of the new Mi Note and Mi Note Pro.

Mi Smart Home App

Xiaomi began with explaining its plans to enter into the smart home market where the smartphone will be command center. The company offers a Smart Home App which connects all the appliance with one app.

Xiaomi has invested RMB 1.26 Billion($203 Million) in home appliances company Midea last December, to take its smart home objective forward.

Mi Headphones

Apple bought Beats and Xiaomi, as always following footsteps, launched its own headphones. They have dual 50 mm drivers and exchangeable ear cups.

In true Xiaomi fashion, these headphones are priced at 500 Yuan or about Rs. 5000. The Mi Headphones look attractive but we can only be sure about their quality when we put them to test.

Mi Box Mini

The next launch was the Mi Box Mini which is a tinsy tiny set top box from Xiaomi. This device is powered by a quad-core 1.3GHz processor along with 1GB RAM. It has 4GB internal flash memory and supports 1080p resolution along with Dolby and DTS audio and dual band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

So overall Xiaomi did what it is known for and it sure was a good show. Now that the products are out, get ready for a long line of speculations about their date of arrival on the Indian shores. Xiaomi does consider India an important market, but it may consider releasing these devices in India only after it gets out of the legal hassles it is facing in the country.

January 15, 2015
Xiaomi Directly Targets OnePlus One With the Launch of 5.7-inch Mi Note

World’s third largest smartphone maker, Xiaomi took a great leap in order to challenge the likes of Apple, Samsung and OnePlus with the new 5.7-inch phablet called the Mi Note.

Many expected the Chinese manufacturer to launch the second generation Redmi Note or the Mi5, but instead the company decided to take a step ahead and launched the Xiaomi Mi Note. The new device flaunts a 5.7-inch 1080p display and seems to be Xiaomi’s contender against the OnePlus One (with a price to match.)

The device is powered by a Snapdragon 801 processor and comes with 3 GB RAM. The phablet will be available in 16 and 32 GB variants. The company has also launched a Pro version of the Mi Note which is powered by 64 bit Snapdragon 810, comes with 4GB of RAM and has a 64GB version only. The pro version flaunts an enticing 2560×1440 at 515ppi screen (2k display.)

Both are powered by a 3000mAh battery. The devices also sport a 13MP main camera with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and a 4 MP front facing selfie camera. They run on MIUI 6, which is based on Android 4.4 KitKat. The Mi Note and Pro are 7 mm thin and weigh 161 gm.

Mi Note is protected on both sides with 2.5D + 3D curved Gorilla Glass 3. According to the company, it’s highly resistant to scratches and shattering.

Xiaomi has become the world’s fastest growing smartphone manufacturer swelling its shipment three times last year. The new Mi Note will compete head to head with OnePlus’ One which was launched last year.

There is no doubt the company has a strong hold on the tech market, however, Xiaomi is still struggling with the idea of breaking into the western market. With the launch of Mi Note, we can expect the Chinese smartphone giant to break free from the Asian market and focus on a more global scale.

The Xiaomi Mi Note will retail for 2,299RMB, which is about $371 or Rs. 22,893, while the Mi Note Pro is priced for 3,299RMB, which is about $532 dollars or Rs. 32,800.

Correction (19/01/15) : Front facing camera 4MP with 2-micron pixels. Thickness 7mm

January 15, 2015
Facebook Jumps into Business Social Networking With ‘Facebook at Work’

Facebook’s previously rumored enterprise-focused social app, Facebook at Work, has been released for public. The company is launching new iOS and Android apps called “Facebook At Work,” along with a web version accessible via its main website.

The app lets companies create their own social networks amongst their employees that are built to look and act like Facebook itself. The main purpose of the app and web tool is to eliminate the presence of E-mails as the primary communication medium and provide a collaboration tool that lets colleagues communicate with a more familiar interface. However, there are handful of differences between the two social apps.

There are zero advertisements and the company doesn’t track users or hold their data. Facebook says a key feature of the app is Groups, which the company believes could replace email lists that appear never-ending and seem to grow larger with time. Employers can create separate log-ins for employees to use with their Work accounts, or users can link these up with their other profiles to access everything in one place.

Facebook is jumping into this existing market with all of its social media knowledge and attempting to make a smooth transition to a business product. The workplace app puts Facebook head-to-head with the likes of Microsoft’s Yammer, Slack, LinkedIn, Convo, Socialcast, and a huge number of others who are trying to tackle this space.

‘Facebook at Work’ is currently free, while most of the other apps offer tiers of pricing. By making this free, Facebook could potentially drive a lot more users to its wider network. Facebook At Work is now available for download on iOS, and we’ll update with link to the Android version once it’s live, though both are usable via a limited access at present.

January 15, 2015
Asus Brings the Super Sleek EeeBook to India for Rs. 20,000

Asus has won a lot of hearts in India over the last year with its ZenFone line of smartphones. The Taiwanese electronics company has a healthy portfolio of devices in India which includes, notebook, tablets, desktops and a lot more. The company is now going to bring the affordable and stylish EeeBook to India for a price of Rs. 20,000.

Asus EeeBook will take a direct aim at Google’s Chromebook-based devices. The EeeBook is a lightweight notebook which is powered by a 1.33 GHz Quad-core Intel Atom processor along with 2 GB RAM. It comes with a-11.6 inch display with a screen resolution of 1366×768.

Just like the Chromebooks, the EeeBook is a cloud based device. In the UK, the device comes with a one-year subscription to Office365 and 1TB of OneDrive storage, which is worth £60. There is also a free two-year subscription to Asus’s WebStorage service with 500GB of space. So in terms of space, the cloud will come to your rescue. The 32 GB internal storage gets used up really fast so you’d have to keep an external storage device on you.

The Asus EeeBook gives more functionality than the average Chromebook, as it runs on the Windows operating system so you can use all your favorite softwares on the device. This bit makes it more practical and a better purchase for a country like India where internet connectivity is limited. The pricing of the EeeBook is also lower than the Chromebooks in the market which gives it an extra edge.

January 15, 2015
Hands On with the New Tizen-Based Samsung Z1

Android has taken over the market share and is widely available across multiple brands. Companies like Samsung, LG, Motorola and a lot of other companies have greatly benefitted from the Google’s open source operating system. But several electronic giants are attempting to come out of Android’s shadow and set up their own operating systems.

Samsung is attempting to break free from Android’s dominance with its homegrown Tizen OS. Samsung had already inducted Tizen in its Gear family of smartwatches and now they have launched the first phone based on the OS.

We got our hands briefly on the new Samsung Z1 which is the first phone based on the new operating system.

The Samsung Z1 totally looks like something that came out of Samsung’s stable. It has recognizable features including the physical button at the center. The phone has a metal-like casing that along with the polished back panel gives it a premium feel.

The Z1 is being marketed as a multimedia device and offers multitude of content through its tie-up with hungama.com and live tv options like BoxTv. But it comes with a 4-inch WVGA display that doesn’t feel adequate for a complete multimedia delight. The bit that is appreciated is the expandable storage option which is up to 64 GB; an amount great for multimedia hoarders.

Tizen OS looks and feels like the TouchWiz UI

Tizen OS looks and feels like the TouchWiz UI on Samsung’s Android devices. The only thing missing is the app drawer. The drop down menu too looks exactly the same as TouchWiz UI with similar setting options. It will be familiar interface for anyone switching from an Android device or upgrading from a feature phone into a smartphone.

Samsung claims most of the major apps are available on Tizen OS

The company has attempted to bring features from its higher end devices on Z1 like the ultra power saving mode, which up until now has been available on premium handsets like the Galaxy S5 and Note 4. It also offers 500 MB of free data plan with Reliance and Aircel for six months.

Overall, in the brief amount of time we spent with the device, we were excited to see Samsung trying to bring something new to its consumers. The device still falls short of competing with products like the Redmi 1S and the Moto E but is still a good effort. The company said that they will be refreshing their line-up of devices over the future and we would like to see where the new path leads Samsung.

January 14, 2015